Stress: 10 simple tips to manage and reduce your stress levels
1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.
Avoid, or at least reduce, nicotine consumption and any beverages containing caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and thus increase your stress level instead of reducing it.
Alcohol is a depressant when taken in large amounts, but acts as a stimulant in smaller amounts. Therefore, using alcohol as a way to relieve stress is not helpful.
Swap caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages for water, herbal teas, or diluted natural fruit juices and stay hydrated as this will allow your body to better handle stress.
You should also look to avoid or reduce your intake of refined sugars – they are contained in many manufactured foods (even salty foods like salad dressings and bread) and can cause energy crashes that can lead to feeling tired and irritable. In general, try to eat a healthy, balanced, and nutritious diet.
2. Practice Physical Activity
Stressful situations increase the level of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in your body.
These are the “fight or flight” hormones that evolution built into our brains and which are designed to protect us from immediate bodily harm when we are under threat. However, stress in the modern age is rarely remedied by a fight-or-flight response so exercise can be used as a surrogate for metabolizing excessive stress hormones, producing neurotransmitters that help restore your body and mind to an optimal state. calmer and more relaxed.
When you feel stressed and tense, take a brisk walk outside. Try to incorporate some physical activity into your daily routine regularly, before or after work or at lunchtime. Regular physical activity also improves the quality of your sleep.
3. Sleep more
Lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress. Sadly, though, stress also interrupts our sleep, as thoughts keep swirling in our heads, preventing us from relaxing enough to fall asleep.
Rather than relying on medication, your goal should be to maximize your relaxation before bed. Make sure your bedroom is a peaceful oasis with no reminders of the things that cause you stress. Avoid caffeine at night, as well as excessive alcohol, if you know it leads to restless sleep. Stop doing any mentally demanding work several hours before going to bed so you give your brain time to settle down. Try taking a warm bath or reading a calm, undemanding book for a few minutes to relax your body, tire your eyes, and help you forget about the things that worry you.
You should also aim to go to bed at about the same time each day so that your mind and body get used to a predictable bedtime routine.
4. Try some relaxation techniques
Every day, try to relax with a stress reduction technique. There are many tried and tested ways to reduce stress, so try a few and see what works best for you.
For example, try meditation, which is very easy and can be done anywhere, even at your desk or in your car. A very simple technique is to focus on a word or phrase that has a positive meaning for you. Words like “calm”, “ love ” and “peace” work well, or you can think of a self-affirming mantra like “I deserve calm in my life” or “Grant me serenity”. Focus on your chosen word or phrase; if you find your mind wandering or becoming aware of intrusive thoughts entering your mind, simply disregard them and return your focus to the chosen word or phrase. If you feel tense again later, simply silently repeat your word or phrase.
Don’t worry if you find it difficult to relax at first. Relaxation is a skill that needs to be learned and improves with practice.
5. Talk to someone
Talking to someone about how you feel can be helpful. Talking can work, whether it’s distracting you from your stressful thoughts or releasing some of the built-up tension by discussing it.
Stress can cloud your judgment and prevent you from seeing things. Talking with a friend, co-worker or a qualified professional like a psychologist can help you find solutions to your stress and put your problems in perspective. Sites like Vittude can make this search simpler and easier. In addition, it is currently possible to do online therapy and you can talk to a psychology professional from the comfort of your home.
6. Keep a stress journal
Keeping a journal for a few weeks is an effective stress management tool, as it will help you become more aware of situations that make you feel stressed.
Write down the date, time, and location of each stressful episode, and note what you were doing, who you were with, and how you felt physically and emotionally. Give each stressful episode a stress rating (for example, on a scale of 1-10) and use the journal to understand what triggers your stress and how effective you are in stressful situations. This will allow you to avoid stressful situations and develop better-coping mechanisms.
7. Take control
Stress can be triggered by a problem that may seem impossible on the surface. Learning how to find solutions to your problems will help you feel more in control, thus lowering your stress level.
One troubleshooting technique involves writing down the problem and creating as many solutions as possible. Decide the good and bad points of each and select the best solution. Write down each step you need to take as part of the solution: what will be done, how it will be done when it will be done, who is involved, and where it will be done. Be the protagonist!
8. Manage your time and reduce stress
At times, we all feel overwhelmed by our to-do list and this is a common cause of stress. Accept that you can’t do everything at once and start prioritizing your tasks.
Make a list of all the things you need to do and list them in order of genuine priority. Note what tasks you need to do yourself and what you can delegate to others to do. Log what tasks need to be done immediately, next week, next month, or when time permits.
By editing what may have started as an overwhelming and unmanageable to-do list, you can break it down into a series of smaller, more manageable tasks spread out over a longer period, with some tasks removed from the list entirely through delegation.
Also, remember to create time off to deal with unexpected and emergency tasks and include time for your relaxation and well-being.
9. Learn to say “no”
A common cause of stress is having too much to do and too little time to do it. And yet, in this situation, many people still agree to take on additional responsibility. Learning to say “no” to additional or unimportant requests will help reduce your stress level and may also help you develop more self-confidence.
To learn to say “no”, you need to understand why you find it difficult. Many people find it difficult to say “no” because they want to help and are trying to be kind and nice. For others, it’s a fear of conflict, rejection, or missed opportunities. Remember that these barriers to saying “no” are all self-created. A psychotherapy process can be instrumental in understanding your mental triggers.
You may be reluctant to respond to a request with a straight “no,” at least at first. Instead, think of a few pre-prepared phrases to make other people feel nicer. Practice saying phrases like:
“I’m sorry but I can’t commit to that as I have other priorities at the moment.”
“Now is not a good time as I’m in the middle of something. Why don’t you ask me again at…?
“I would love to do that, but…”
10. Rest when you are tired
If you’re feeling down, don’t feel like you have to move on. A short rest period will allow the body to recover faster.